1. Field of the Invention:
This invention relates to golf club markers and, more particularly, to golf club markers and to a holder for the golf club marker, with the holder secured to the grip of a putter.
2. Description of the Prior Art:
U.S. Pat. No. 2,178,872 (Engstrom) discloses an attachment for a golf club shaft, with a marker being received in the attachment. The attachment is appropriately secured to the end of the shaft, and a marker is in turn secured in the attachment or housing.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,261,959 (Buttikofer) discloses another attachment to the end of a golf club shaft for holding a marker. Different embodiments of markers and holders are shown.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,700,547 (Kraeling, Jr.) discloses another type of attachment for a golf club shaft for holding a marker. In the '872 and '959 patents discussed above, the markers are held generally perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis of the shaft. In the '547 patent, the marker is held in a holder substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the shaft.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,622,157 (Hatch) discloses a marker secured to a golf green repair tool. The marker includes a flat disc and a stem secured to the disc head. The marker is held in place by the stem.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,774,913 (Dien) discloses a combination of a green fixing tool and a marker holder secured to the end of a golf club shaft. The marker in the '913 patent includes a circular head and a stem. The stem is secured to the holder to maintain the marker.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,779,559 (Taylor) discloses a golf club grip and a marker which secures to the grip. The grip includes a circular socket which receives the head of the ball marker. The grip also includes a pole which extends downwardly through the end of the grip from the socket and which receives the shank of the marker.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,905,525 (Kawamata) discloses a ball marker designed to be secured to a shoe or belt of a user, not to the grip of a putter. The marker includes a shank which cooperates with different elements in the holder for securing the marker to the holder. For example, a straight shank is disclosed on the marker, and a resilient O-ring is disposed in the holder for applying an inwardly directed resilient force against the shank of the marker. In other embodiments, the shank includes grooves which mate with different types of elements, such as ridges or even an O-ring, to secure the marker to the holder.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,239,216 (Bauer) discloses a combination green repair tool and marker holder secured to the end of a putter shaft. A marker is held in the slot. The slot is generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the shaft.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,380,337 (DiMatteo) discloses a holder and marker combination in which the holder extends through a small aperture in the end of a golf club grip. The holder includes a relatively flat top portion with a cup extending upwardly from the center of the top flat surface to cooperate with a button which extends downwardly from the bottom surface of the marker into the cup. A frictional snap engagement is thus provided.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,403,377 (Mizusawa) discloses a fastening system which discloses a panel, a cover for the panel, and a wedge member to secure the cover to the panel. The base includes a portion which extends through a hole in the panel, and the wedge includes a shank portion which extends through the base and into the panel.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,591,156 (Attenni) discloses a device for securing a racket to the wrist of a player. The apparatus includes a ring element which has a shank and an outwardly tapering end on the shank. The element extends into a resilient holder. The holder includes resilient legs which spread apart to receive the shank, which extends down below the bottom of the resilient legs.
It will be noted that all of the apparatus discussed above, with the exception of the apparatus of the '157 patent, are all relatively complicated. The complexity translates into manufacturing costs. In turn, the cost to the consumer or user is probably relatively high, considering the practical utility for which the apparatus is designed. Accordingly, a golfer may prefer to simply utilize a coin to mark the location of a ball on a putting green rather than bother with relatively complicated and relatively expensive marker apparatus.
The apparatus of the present invention is relatively simple, and utilizes handle grips in contemporary use on most putters.